What worked for me was Benjamin Moore Advance in White, Satin finish. First used Benjamin Moore Stix Bonding Primer. And a HIGH QUALITY Wooster brush and Wooster Microfiber Plush roller.

I love both the cabinets and the staircase. You did a great job!

I used Stix bonding primer, BM advance paint color matched to my trim it was closest to white dove. I lightly sanded before the primer and between each coat. I used a Wooster brush and a cabinet and trim foam roller. It took 2 gallons of paint and 1 gallon of primer. I did 3 coats of paint on each side!

What a wonderful result. Congrats it is superb.

nice job on the redo. I've been thinking on a similar backsplash as you have done, what brand and style tile did you use?

For the paint, I used Zinsser primer then sanding between coats Sherwin Williams Pro Classic semi gloss but I sprayed my doors and hand painted the cabinets with a Wooster brush.

Sarabeth2, I never saw the Wooster Microfiber Plush roller. Does this prevent the orange peel effect you normally get with high density foam rollers? I just spray painted my island doors and hand painted the front styles and rails but need to do the sides and can't spray paint in the house. I want it smooth for now until I decide what end cabinets I want to add to extend my island size. Thanks :)

The backsplash is from Daltile, it is a tumbled marble. I am not sure of the brand, we had that done by a contractor.

thanks :) good to know it is tumbled. I'll go do a search. We are probably a year away from doing countertops and backsplash, so I have lots of time.

I prevented the orange peel look by brushing on the advance paint then smoothing it with a foam roller, if you use enough paint it will self level
And it will appear to have been sprayed smooth. Just make sure you work fast while the paint is still open. My contractor even asked me who I had to spray them, so if I fooled him I guess it worked!

Looks Great!

Looks great! Amazing what time and patience can do! Glad you were able to do it yourself regardless of what the pros will say!

wow, no kitchen reno company in my town sells Datile. We have a LOT of kitchen a bath businesses just in a 3-5 mile radius. I'd have to drive an hour to NJ or an hour to the next county over from me. Not really a problem, but wonder why they wouldn't carry it. I noticed they also sell Quartz

for me that only seemed to level out if what I was painting was horizontal. The sides of the cabinet didn't work out as nice. I was thinking to buy door panels, spray them outside and install them so it will be smooth. I also want to have a smooth inside cabinet wall :) that was why I asked.

UR a patient person!!! Looks great!

Great job. I would love to do my stairway as well. How long did it take you? I'm not sure i have it in me :/

Looks terrific!!!

The stairway didn't take too long, it was about 12 hours of painting in a weekend.

I noticed you said you used BM Advanced. Did you find the paint to be easy to work with? Did you sand or strip the finish first? Did you use a primer? Did you use a top-coat? Sorry for all the questions but I have been researching the best paint to use for a re-do on my daughter's kitchen cabinets and I was thinking about using this brand paint. Her cabinets are builder's oak - very dated. I love the look of your "new" cabinets - great job.

I loved the BM advanced, it was very easy to work with. It just takes a little different method, you need to apply enough paint for it to self level with a brush then even out the paint with a cabinet foam roller. So medium vs light coats are best. I didn't strip, just used a deglosser and lightly sanded. I did use a primer, Stix, at BM. It will stick to anything, including fake sides of cabinets but it does need to be sanded because it does not self level, which wasn't hard. I did not topcoat because I used a satin finish which is very cleanable. I had 48 cabinets and 16 drawers. It took 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of paint. 2 gallons of Advanced and 1 gallon of Stix. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Wow! That's a lot of cabinets. I know how hard that can be. I just finished 2 cabinets in my den and it took many hours. I used chalk paint and wax, but I know that kitchen cabinets need more durability. Thanks for the info.

Sorry about the sideways pics - I am no camera expert!

Many people do not believe me when I say to use this type of primer. They still believe in full sanding which is old school. Thanks for backing up my advice!

Did you take the doors off and lay them horizontal to paint or did you keep hinges on and paint upright?

You should be so proud of your efforts - what an amazing result you have achieved..... It must feel like living in a different house!

Yes I took them all down, 5-6 at a time.

Well done! And nice to see that you did it properly and prepared the surface, used a good primer, etc. that is SO crucial to a successful result! Congrats!

Wow, your hard work paid off! Thanks for the great photos and detailed explanations - we are going to be doing the same thing to our kitchen and banister soon, so it's great to see your amazing results!

Very patient and very nice.

glad to hear you took them down :) I did the same with mine, 20 doors and 2 drawers between my island and upper wall cabinets.

How do you like the cup drawer handles? I just bought some for the drawers of my dining room hutch. Mine is wood so since I didn't want just a knob, I needed something that would cover the center whole, so I opted for the 3 cup handles, ordered them yesterday, along with matching knobs for the 6 doors

diyher - I too painted my doors with spray paint and brush painted the cabinets. It's easy to get a great finish if you learn how to use a spray can. I got the brand that allowed you to have cans of paint tinted to match the spray color. Looks like a brand new kitchen. Looks like you sprang for new counter tops as well. Great choices!

incredible job guys

I love the new look...from drab and dreary to bright and airy! Thanks for the inspiration!

Can I just say..wow..you have given me inspiration!!

That's awesome! Nice work

dstemple1956, I didn't use a spray can :) I bought a Graco TrueCoat Pro II Cordless sprayer. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Graco-TrueCoat-Pro-II-Cordless-Sprayer-16N657-/161024236938?pt=Paint_Paint_Supplies&hash=item257dcadd8a Mullers was the cheapest price and at the time, Graco had a $75 rebate. So only paid $410. I have other reasons to use it besides just my cabinets, so it was worth the extra money for me

However you did it diyher, it looks fabulous!

:) dstemple1956, the cabinets above were painted by mexicobride, I didn't give a link to mine :)

You did a remarkable job. You took your time and it shows. You probably won/t have much chipping on the doors of the cabinets. I also like the choice of black on the handrails that goes beautifully with the white spindles. Great job!

Really nice !

Gorgeous!!!! What color did you use on the walls?

What did you use on the stair handrail?

Fantastic kitchen and this handrail make over needs to occur in many houses across the United States!

LOVELY JOB!

Hi, I'm seeing your refinishing job just now and am wondering how the cabinets have held up? One of the commenters suggested you wouldn't have "much chipping" so I'm curious if you have. I am just starting to think about refinishing my cabinets. They're very good wood and I can't afford new, but I'm nervous about having to redo them again. We're in our kitchen all day long!

Nice work!

Nice job! I especially like the banister.

What kind of wood are your cabinets? They look like cherry. Or is it oak? I have dark cherry cabs that I want to paint white but not sure how the paint would bond...I would never attempt to do a kitchen myself-you are brave! It looks great!! Love white kitchens, so cheerful.

The cabinets have held up great! I have had to do a few small touch ups here and there, but they have survived two crazy boys and our busy life. Sharlowm- they are a stained cherry like finish, not oak. I used a primer called Stix, sold at most Benjamin Moore paint stores. It was great! Even worked on the fake wood like sides.

Very Nice.

Good work!

hi Mexicobride. I found your pics and am reading thru the comments. I am having issues with the stipple or 'orange peel' effect. we have sanded and sanded and sanded until my husbands arm fell off! I have the foam roller and high quality brush but I'm not getting a smooth finish. We have Sherwin Williams paint one coat and I'm thinking the problem is how thick the paint is, it's not leveling nicely and lifting when I run the roller over to smooth it out. Any thoughts on why you BM paint is working? Could it be a thinner paint? I have also thinned it out with an extender to help with the smoothing but its not really doing much!